Tank-car.



S. V. OSBURN.

TANK CAR.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 5. |917.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

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Specication of Letters Patent.

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lApplication led November 5, 1917. Serial No. 200,462'.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, SYLvEs'rER V. USBURN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Coffeyville, in the county of Montgomery and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tank-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tank cars, and more' especially to tank cars for the transportation of liquids, and the primary object ofthe invention is to. produce a tank carin which the shocks of coupling and end collisions are more' equitably distributed overthe entire structure than with cars of standard type.

A further object isto produce a tank car of such construction that where a series of them are coupled together, the car receiving the impactdirect transmits a greater proportion of the shock to the adjacent car, and the latter to the next car and so on, than occurs with cars of standard type, this distribution of the strain serving to relieveand uard against injury of the car receiving t e direct impact.

More specifically vmy Objectis to provide a tank car in which shocks of the character mentioned, are imposed yieldingly on the tank and thence transmitted to both trucks as distinguished from the standard ty e in which the shock on the trucks is cushioned only by the draft gear or rigging at the end of the car where the impact occurs, it being obvious that through this construction, any resiliency in the'tank proper as well as the contents thereof, is utilized in further minimizing the dect of the shock on the trucks.

Another object is to provide. a construction wherein all parts are readily accessible for the purpose of repair and the renewal of worn parts, thereby reducing the diiiiculties and dangers encountered at present in making repairs to tank cars vas heretofore constructe A still further object is to produce a tank car possessing the features of l advantage hereinbefore set forth, at less cost of manufacture than 'those of approved design now in use. f j

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of .construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a fragmentary side view of a tank car embodying my invention. j

Fig'. 2, is an enlarged vertical section taken through the central portion of the car.

Fig. 3, is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in central vertical longitudinal section, said figure being shown on a scale larger than that of Fig. l, but smaller than that of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4, is a horizontal section taken on the linelV-lV of Fig. 3, 'but showing-an element of the structure lying below said plane, partly in horizontal section.

Fig. 5, is a fragmentary end view of the car, with an element thereof broken away.

' Fig. `6, is a detail .perspective view of the lower part of one of the cradle braces of the car.

L lin the said drawings, 1 indicates the customary cylindrical tank of a vtank car, the same as is usual, overlying the truck bolsters 2, only oneof which are shown (see Fig. 5), and each truck bolster is provided centrally with a circular socket 3, and near eachv end witha bearing lug 4.

Vertically above each truck bolster is a cradle frame, each of said frames comprising an upper member 5 and a lower member 6, and said members vertically above the centers of the truck holsters conjointly form openings 7, shown in this instance as a circular opening, the lower ends of the central portion of member 5 terminating in outwardly projecting ears 8 and the upperends of member 6 in outwardly projecting ears 9 bolted to ears 8. Each lower member is provided with a horizontal base 10 provided with a depending pivot boss 1i engaging the socket 3 of the underlying bolster so that the latter may be free to turn as the truck rounds a curve. Flach truck is provided with a fired pin 12 projecting upward centrally through the pivot boss 1l of the adjacent member 6 of the bracket. rlihe upper member of each of said brackets conforms to and ts flatly against the lower part of the tank and is riveted thereto as at 13, and is pro- ,vided with tl-shaped brace arms 14 extending divergently downward at opposite sides of the central portion, and terminating in close proximity to the bearing lugs 4 of the truck bolster. The said braces are spaced member 6 by braces 1,5.

The brackets' described constitute cradlebraces and are generically identified hereinafter by said term, theirv special function .as suggested being to guard against sidewise movement or rolling of the car on the trucks but without eliminating flexing action entirely.

Interposed between the tank and bolsters and extending parallel to the former, is a sliding member, shown in this instance as a longitudinal pipe or tube 16, said sliding member extending' through the openings 7 formed in the cradle braces and being capable of slidable action therein, and said mem ber lis prevented from turning aroundl its own axis through the provision of longitudinal slots 17 receiving the pins 12 ofthe bolsters.

The slidable member midway its length is provided, with a longitudinal slot 18, and-secured to and within said member at opposite sides of the' vertical plane of. said slot are thrustplates 19 stifl'ened by longitudinally extending ribs 20, there being two sets of said plates spaced apart equal distances from a point midway the length of said slot, and saidY plates are provided at their lower inner or adjacent corners with horizontal angesor shelves 21 underlying A a pair of follower plates 22 .pressed apart by an interposed cushion or spring 28, the inner ends of the said plates 19 normally determining the position of said follower plates, and in this connection it will be understood that the flanges or shelves 21 form temporary supports for the follower plates to uphold them in convenient position for engagement by the spring, the pressure of the latter being suficient to hold them substantially centrally of the sliding member when the parts are in operative relation.

To transmit power from the member 16 when the same moves endwise, a pair of abutment lugs 24 depend through the slot 18 outwardof the follower plates, from a tral portion of the tank, tively receiving the thrust mitted from the slidable thecushion or spring 23. The mechanism comprised by the parts 19 to 25 inclusive, constitutes a shock absorbing device. The sliding member is adaptedv to carry car cousaid lugs respecyieldingly transmember through pler members 26 'shown in fragmentary form 1t is also only at one end of Fig. 1, as said coupling members may be of any approved type, and proposed to employ any suitable draft rigging, not shown, to absorb the ordinary shock incident to the coupling of the cars. The' draft rigging may be of any preferred type, such for instance as that known movement imparted to segmental plate 25 riveted to the lower cennecesa? as the Cardwell gear, it being understood that if the Cardwell gear is employed as the shockabsorbingdevice at the center of the car and sliding member, it will be necessary to provide the sliding member with side slots 27 for the accommodation of the laterally projecting rods of such gear which are omitted as they are in ygeneral use and form no essential part of this invention.

Assuming that a car embodying the invention is coupled to another car so that the coupling shock shall movethe slidable membei' in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, it will be apparent that the thrust plate or plates 19 at the left hand end of slot 18 (see Fig. 3), will move the engaged follower plate 22 to the right and thereby effect compression of the spring 23 againsv 'the right hand abutment lug 24 of the tank, the shock upon the latter being thus cushioned, it being noted that in this action the right hand thrust plate 19 moves out of engagement with the thrust receiving or right hand follower plate 22, and that the thrust imposing following platev likewise moves away from the adjacent or left hand abutment lug 24. The shock imposed upon the tank is evenly distributed through the same and its contents to the ends of the tank whence it is taken up by the cradle braces and transmitted therefrom into the trucks with minimized force.

I have found by practical tests that the use of a sliding member to receive the impact of one car upon another and to transmit the shock to the central portion of the tank and` through the latter and its contents to the trucks, minimizes wear and tear and rackin strains on the truck and the connections etween the same and the tank, and by experiments have determined that .through the combination of elements above set forth and constituting the essential features of my invention, the necessity for repairs and re lacements of broken parts of tank car will be infrequent.

It will be apparent that under the impact incident to the coupling of cars, the a sliding member will be transmitted through the draft connections to the sliding members of the adjacent cars and that' consequently the strain or shock will be distributed throughout an entire series of cars but proportionately diminished as the vcars of the series successively receive the shock. Because of this distribution of the shock through the sliding members, no single car will receive as great a proportionate shock as occurs with cars of standard construction.

It will be apparent that the slidable member of a car can be readilydetached from the tank and trucks to give better access for purposes of repairs and replacement, but that for most repairs, such as resetting of LantaarlFrom the above description it will be apparent that l have produced a *tank car,

embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the object of the invention, and while l have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of the same, it is to be understood that it is susceptible of modification without departing from the principle of construction involved or sacrificing any of the advantages of the appended claims.

l claim:

l. ln a tank car, the combination with a tank, underlying truck bolsters, and brackets secured to the tank and pivotally supported on said bolsters, 'of a. member paralleling the tank and slidably carried by the said brackets, and means yfor causing the slidable member when slid endwise on its supports, to apply yielding pressure in the.

slidable member when slid endwise on its supports, to apply yielding pressure in the same direction on the tank and for returning said. member to normal position after the impelling power thereof is spent.

3. ln a tank car, the combination with a tank, underlying truck bolsters, and brackcts secured to the tank and pivotally supported on said bolsters, of a member paralleling the tank and slidably carried by the said brackets, and a spring cushion interposed between the slidable member and the tank for transmitting power from Uthe former to the latter and reacting to return y the slidable member to normal position.

4. ln a tank car, the combination with a tank, underlying truck bolsters, and brackets secured to the tank and pivotally supported on said bolsters, of a member paralleling the tank and slidably carried by the said brackets, spaced lugs secured to the slidable member, spaced lugs rigid with the tank, and a spring interposed between the lugs of the slidable member and also between the lugs of the tank for transmitting power from either ofthe rst-named lugs to the tank through a lug thereof, and for reacting to transmit power from such tank lug to the slidablc member through a lug of the latter.

5. lin n. am..

car, the combination with a tank, underlying truck bolsters, and brackets-secured to the tank and pivotally supported on said bolsters, of a member paralleling the tank and slidably carried by the said brackets, and having a pin-and-slot connection with the bolsters, spaced lugs secured to the slidable member, spaced lugs rigid with the tank, and a spring interposed between the lugs of the slidablemember and also between the lugs of the ltank for transmitting power from either of the rst-named lugs to the tank through a lug thereof,and for reacting to transmit power from such y tank lug to the slidable member through a lug of the latter. A

6. ln a tank car, the combination of a tank, truck bolsters underlying the tank near the ends thereof, brackets bearing pivotal relations to the bolsters and rigid relations with the tank, a slidable member parallel to the tank and adapted to receive endwise the impact incidental to the coupling of cars, and yielding means for transmitting shock from the sliding member to the tank.

7. lln a tank car, the combination of a tank, truck bolsters underlying the tank near the ends thereof, brackets bearing pivotal relations to the bolsters and rigid relations with the tank, a slidable member parallel to the tank and adapted to receive endwise the impact incidental to the coupling of cars, and provided with a longitudinal slot and opposite thrust shoulders, a plate secured to the tank and provided with lugs depending into said slot, and a resilient cushion to transmit power from the thrustV to said shoulders.

8. ln a tank car, a slidable member to receive and yield to shocks incidental to the coupling or endwise abutment of cars, and means for yieldingly transmitting such shocks from said member to the body or tank about midway the length thereof.

9. ln a tank car, the combination of the tank, underlying bolsters, cradle braces secured to the tank and pivotally resting on the bolsters centrally thereof, and consisting of lower members and upper members secured together and conjointly forming openings, the upper members having, downwardly diverging arms spaced slightly from the bolsters near the outer ends thereof, a sliding member extending through the said openings of the braces, yielding means to transmit endwise movement of the sliding member to the tank, and means to prevent rotary movement of the sliding member.

ln testimony whereof l afix my signatureldd Mtb

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